Happy birthday, Rolling Stone …

…it’s not just about the music, but about the things and attitudes that music embraces.

Jann Wenner

November 9, 1967 ~ The first issue of Rolling Stone magazine is published.

John Lennon is the first cover subject. The still shot from the movie set of How I Won the War shows the Beatle in his familiar round glasses and a mesh-covered helmet, setting the tone for the mix of music and politics that become the magazine’s hallmark.

The first issue costs 35 cents and becomes a collector’s item, selling for upwards of $400 decades later.

The magazine’s name is inspired by the Muddy Waters blues song “Rollin’ Stone,” the Bob Dylan hit “Like a Rolling Stone,” and the band The Rolling Stones.

When the editors realize they are aging out of their demographic, they bring in young writers to keep it fresh. One of these is the journalism prodigy Cameron Crowe, who begins writing for the magazine in 1973 at age 16, covering the likes of Deep Purple, The Allman Brothers and Jackson Browne. These experiences form the basis for his 2000 film Almost Famous.